got fired/terminated

[YesYesRN]

I was working as a new grad RN and had a wonderful experience at a magnet hospital. However after being assigned to a new preceptor everything changed. She was very moody and changes her mind very often. I watched her picking up fights with other nurses. She has a very positive relationship with the management. Another new RN from my cohort who trained under her quit the job. I was, fired/terminated with less than 6 months of experience without any warning. She disliked me and complained to my boss in a daily basis. I was a new vulnerable nurse who's concerns and issues were not taken seriously nor heard. The firing process was unprofessional and unfair.

Now, I'm extremely worried about my future. Because many job application would ask if I have ever been fired before. What should I do? Can anyone share their experience?

[caliotter3]

Who would use a place that fired them as a reference?

I remember being upset one time because I checked "do not contact" on an employer on apps and the ONLY mention to me during the hiring process was that particular employer. After that incident, I read somewhere that employers will call them all anyway, if for no other reason, to "verify" that you really did work there during "that" time period. Anything else they can glean from the phone call is pure gravy.

[caliotter3]

I've never been fired, so I've never had to answer that. My point was that the wording is usually "reason for leaving", not "have you ever been canned"

I have seen both on the same application, but usually it is reason for leaving. "Have you ever been terminated" is not as common to see, at least in my experience.

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

I see a lot of people saying this wouldn't happen at a Magnet hospital, and that's just not true. Magnet means nothing. My FT job is magnet and I have seen a ton of unfair firings, and more subtle examples of making the workplace so intolerable that people leave on their own. I have seen a unit leader go up to staff and tell them not to help a certain person because the unit leader doesn't like her and the unit leader wants her to drown. I have seen people with better experience and abilities passed over for open opportunities because management likes a certain new nurse better who actually doesn't even meet the minimum qualifications for the position. Magnet status isn't worth the paper it's printed on, and definitely has nothing to do with fairness or unfairness.

Yes. Magnet is not what some people think....it doesn't even guaranty a great hospital, IMO.

[Conqueror+, BSN, RN]

I've never completed an application that asks if I've ever been terminated from a position. I also doubt that your firing came completely out of the blue just because your preceptor was mean. That is not generally how magnet hospitals operate

I have seen on many applications a stand alone question that asks "have you ever been terminated or forced to resign? Magnet hospital staff is comprised of people just like every other type of hospital. I have seen some dirty stuff.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Who would use a place that fired them as a reference?

Well, unless the employment was really fleeting, and especially if one worked there for a long time, you'd have to list it. And your potential employer is likely going to call.

I can't remember how long the OP worked at this place, so it may not apply to her.

So going back and reading the OP, I see she is a new RN with less than 6 months on the job. That's a tricky one...does she say she has no experience (could make her less marketable), or does she list the job and try to spin the whole thing (truthfully of course) to her advantage?

[dishes, BSN, RN]

@katiemi I would not recommended new grads work for agencies because as novice nurses, most are on not able to safely manage patient care without some supervision a/o mentoring. There are agencies that will hire inexperienced grads and overlook concerns that novices are more likely to miss early symptoms and fail to rescue patients a/o prevent sentinel events, but those agencies are sketchy and unethical IMO.

I do not doubt that the OPs termination was due to a personality conflict with the perceptor, but potential new employers want to see that previously terminated employees were able to rise above being treated unfairly and use it as a professional growth experience. I understand the human resources file will provide the information that is in accordance with labour laws, but that does not mean an ex-employee cannot read between the lines and become more workplace savvy, in order to learn how to communicate with future employers.

When the market is saturated with new grads, employers want to see that new grads are responsible for their own continuous learning and development. They can see this on resumes where applicants have membership in professional associations such as ANA, attend meetings and volunteer with health related charitable organizations. Membership in professional associations and volunteering can lead to networking and references.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

In fact, HRs typically are not allowed to give out any information except "employed from date x to date z" and "eligible (or not) for rehire" unless there is a Court order (which they disregard more ofthen than not unless agency like EEOC becomes involved).

This is often true (maybe even usually true), but those are due to internal policies about it, not because of any outside dictates.

Generally, an employer is not prohibited by law from providing truthful information about a former employee to a prospective employer. The law has little reason to discourage employers from providing their honest assessments of an employee's performance, regardless of whether this assessment is good or bad.

Truthful information provided by an employer will be protected by the law in the vast majority of cases. Opinions also are generally protected, and simply because someone disagrees with their former employer's opinion does not entitle them to collect damages under defamation law. Instead, only false factual statements are subject to defamation lawsuits that are governed by individual states' laws.

Is a Former Employer's Bad Reference Illegal? - FindLaw

Past employers can't say anything bad about you.

At least once a month, I hear someone say it's illegal for employers to provide a detailed reference, or any information beyond confirming job title and dates of employment. Not true. It's legal for an employer to give a detailed reference, including negative information, as long as it's factually accurate. (That said, some companies do have policies that they won't give references, but these policies are easily gotten around. I've never had a problem obtaining a reference for a candidate, and I've checked a ton of them.)

The 4 Biggest Myths About Job References | On Careers | US News

Myth No. 2: Former employers direct all reference checks to their Human Resources departments, and those people won't say anything negativeWhile human resources departments are far more likely to follow proper protocol during reference checks, they're still human. Folks checking references will still listen to their tone of voice to see if they're hesitant, evasive or annoyed by the call. If they're angry, shocked, unhappy or or just aghast that anyone thought to contact them about you, that isn't great. Here's what what HR sounds like when it gets a reference call from Allison & Taylor for one of its more infamous employees:I do not care to comment at all. I let him go, and that's all I care to say.”

Are you certain he gave you my name?”

I'm surprised she even listed us on her work history.”

More than 50% of all references Allison & Taylor get come back lukewarm or negative, so give that some consideration when you think the folks in HR might be your best bet.

5 Job Reference Myths That Can Destroy Your Chances and Reputation - MainStreet

Seems to me that if you get fired, your best bet is to be ready with a really great explanation that doesn't involve employer bashing, but puts the whole situation in as positive a light as possible.

With the overuse of canned or stock answers like "it wasn't a good fit," I'd be wary of hiring someone who tried to lay that one on me, if that was all he was willing to say about it.

[NotYourMamasRN]

I was HR before becoming an RN so I have a bit of insight. When filling out most job applications it will ask for "Reason You Left" and then "Can We Contact Employer". If you check no, usually a secondary box opens asking "Why". We pull your federal pay records, so we know where you have worked and if you left something off the application, that is a problem more than checking "No" and being honest in "Can We Contact Employer" and "Why". HR does not like people who even appear as though they are lying or not listing a full employment record. We cannot call anyone at all until after you have accepted the Job Offer, and that offer is always contingent upon reference and employment screening.

I must note, when we call to do employment verification we can only ask certain questions, but the old employer can say almost ANYTHING they want to us and they often do if it was a troublesome employee (Not saying OP is troublesome, just a general statement). HR is who we call and they know how to legally state someone was a crappy employee.

References are different, these are people you select who we can ask about you as a person both professionally and personally. This is not the same as an employment verification. Different states have different laws regarding who you can call to verify employment based on how employee answered "Can We Contact This Employer".

And as others have mentioned, some applications will ask "Have you ever been fired from or asked to resign from a position"

In my experience, HR is much more forgiving of being honest up front then when we find something that you did not disclose. It says a lot about your integrity to be honest and upfront.

Hope that helps and I wish you luck. I feel, based on my professional background, that having one issue like this will not hinder your ability to find another job. Yes it could make it a little more difficult, but hiring managers know people are human and make mistakes.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Nope, it was not done. Also there was a remediation form that my boss did not do. She just fired me without offering any remediation

At six months you were probably still on probation and your boss doesn't NEED a reason to fire you. She can fire you just because she doesn't like your hair. Or because your preceptor has concerns about your practice.

In forty years, I've never seen a new grad fired because "the preceptor was mean", but I have seen a lot of new grads fired at the end of their orientation, even after it had been extended a few times because they just aren't measuring up and don't seem to process it when the preceptor tells them exactly HOW they aren't measuring up. Usually, however, we try to work with the new grads unless there is some particularly egregious error. I find it difficult to believe that you were fired without explanation. What did your boss tell you was the reason for your termination?

[NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

I see a lot of people saying this wouldn't happen at a Magnet hospital, and that's just not true. Magnet means nothing. My FT job is magnet and I have seen a ton of unfair firings, and more subtle examples of making the workplace so intolerable that people leave on their own. I have seen a unit leader go up to staff and tell them not to help a certain person because the unit leader doesn't like her and the unit leader wants her to drown. I have seen people with better experience and abilities passed over for open opportunities because management likes a certain new nurse better who actually doesn't even meet the minimum qualifications for the position. Magnet status isn't worth the paper it's printed on, and definitely has nothing to do with fairness or unfairness.

I'm afraid I'm with Calivianya on this one. I've witnessed this first hand. I worked a unit with this very demanding trach patient. He/She lived on that call light! The regular staff nurses were rotated out every 4 hours with this patient. However, I was assigned to him/her for 60 hours straight (five 12's)! When I complained about it, I was deemed a non-team player and before the words came out of my manager's mouth, I had quit and never looked back! I never used them as a reference either, not because I was fearful of a bad review, but because I felt the association with them would tarnish my reputation. And, I did not have any issues finding employment after that fiasco. Granted, I was not a new nurse either. But that meant that I was an experienced nurse who was treated just as badly. They did not care at that facility. They looked after who they felt were their own.

[Glycerine82, LPN]

So how would you answer that question for a position from which you were terminated? Just wondering. I haven't ever been terminated so I am not sure what I would put for that. Something creative? Lol

Wasn't a good fit ;-)

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

@dishes:

While I agree that agency work is not the best choice, and especially for a new grad, it is just one way to dust off and work things out. There are agencies which are risky and careless and put nurses' licenses in danger, but there are different ones as well. The one I was lucky to bump onto had personal assessment of my skills (and I kept as honest as humanely possible about them) and did not send me anywhere I, or they, would not feel reasonably safe and where I knew what to do.

I also agree that employers do read between the lines... it only surprises me that everything they so read always sounds the same. Even here, where the stories just like the OP 's appear every few days, there are plenty of nurses who do not believe that a new grad might be fired for being not to the liking of preceptor. The management then automatically sees a nurse who already suffered inhumanely for months, as a potential troublemaker and "not desirable" applicant only because of she could not make "opportunity for personal growth and development" out of hazing or rasism.